by Aleggs Sander

Created on: November 27, 2009

Does anyone know who God is? In actuality we can never know God by the definition we have of God, which is all bound up with Greek philosophy. The fact of the matter is that we know God because of what he has done, and what he does. The bible makes it clear that the invisible attributes of God are made manifest in what he has created (Rom 1).

The Israelites were the first recorded people to know God. They knew him because of what he did. He appeared to Moses and told Moses that he was about to do something: he was about to release the Israelites from slavery and Moses would be the instrument of liberation in his hand. Thus God became known as a savior and liberator. The act of deliverance from Egyptian slavery constituted Israel a people and made God Redeemer and Deliverer.

But before the Israelites knew God as such, various individuals knew God as different realities in their life at different times. He revealed himself to Abram, and eventually made him Abraham as he told him that he would make of him a great nation. Abram was changed to Abraham when he believed all that God had done was the fulfillment of God's promise to him of what God would do (Gen. 17). Various names used to identify God are merely descriptors of what he did. As El-shaddai, the mighty God, he continuously supplies and replenishes his people. As El-elyon, he is over all of his creation. As Jehovah-jireh he looks out for his people's needs and satisfies their desires. God is known for what he does.

The Psalmists in various Psalms recounts the works of God, his mighty deeds, and states that these deeds reflect to Israel who he is and the fact that he is deserving of worship (Ps 80-86). The prophets declared that God is a God of justice because he cares about the powerless of society. They stated that he was concerned for the well being of others because he sought to satisfy their bodily and social urges. God is known for what he does.

Jesus Christ continued the same trend when he told his followers to call God father. He recounted what a father does (Luke 6; Matt 6) and shows how a father's actions are actually a duplication of God's actions. But instead of judging God by earthly fathers, he encourages us to judge earthly fathers by God's standard. God is known for what he does.

In Hebrew thinking, a person is what they do. That is reflected to some extent in our current names. Names such as "Cartwright," "Smith," "Johnson," are all reflective of tasks these persons performed, which eventually became labels by which they were identified, and eventually branded onto their families. A person is what a person does. It is what a person that shows you what that person is. Christ reminded us of that when he said "You cannot gather grapes from a fig tree." Each person can only be what he does (a reminder that certain behaviors, practiced consistently can result in certain character changes).

Therefore, we know that God is a deliverer, for he delivered Israel, and he delivers us from the bondage of sin. We know that he is a Father, for he is responsible for bringing us into this world. We know that God is love, for his actions are of such a nature that they show love and elicit love. And I am Glad that God is love.

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